Wrigley rooftops lose defamation lawsuit

A Cook County judge has thrown out a defamation lawsuit filed by owners of several Wrigley Field rooftop buildings against sports consultant Marc Ganis.

Circuit Judge William Gomolinski ruled today that Mr. Ganis’ words were constitutionally protected free expression and that they did not damage owners’ ability to do business. (Copies of the opinion and the original complaint are embedded below.) The judge dismissed a case in which 18 rooftop owners alleged that the SportsCorp Ltd. president made false statements to the Chicago Sun-Times about their relationship with the Chicago Cubs.

“This is a total and complete rebuke of the rooftop owners in their lawsuit against me,” Mr. Ganis said today, going a step further to question the rooftop owners’ legal acumen.

“To the extent that they actually believed what they filed, one has to think maybe they’re delusional,” he said. “If they truly believed this was defamation and what they were saying was important, then maybe they’re not only delusional about the lawsuit they filed against me, but also perhaps delusional in their expectations about what their contract says with the Cubs.”